118 SAMUEL WENDELL WILLISTON— LULL. lVmma r^txvu, 



disposal by Mrs. Williston. With the acceptance of the chair at Kansas, however, he 

 thought the "recollections could with propriety end." The man had most assuredly found 

 himself, and the upbuilding of his character and education was accomplished when he entered 

 thus upon the final phase of his scientific career. It is nevertheless to be regretted that he 

 ended his autobiography here, for his later career, while less romantic, was of greater importance 

 to science, both from the standpoint of teaching and of research. 



Dr. Williston's term of service in Kansas extended from 1890 to 1902, and to the title of 

 professor of geology were added those of professor of anatomy and dean of the School of Med- 

 icine. In addition, he was appointed a member of the State board of health, of which it is said 

 that, largely because of his enthusiasm for work in behalf of the health of the community and 

 his ability to get things done by injecting new life into that body, it has since had the reputation 

 of being one of the most efficient and progressive of the State boards of health. He served also 

 as a member of the State board of medical examiners (1901-2). The year 1902 brought the 

 call to the University of Chicago as professor of paleontology, and there his affiliation lay with 

 the Department of Zoology until almost the close of his career, when he was made director of 

 the Walker Museum in addition to his professorial duties. 



The manysidedness of Dr. Williston's accomplishments is abundantly attested by the varied 

 character of his employment, in which, at any rate in his earlier life, he was to a certain extent 

 the victim of circumstances. He could not always follow his greatest inclination, but invariably 

 recognized opportunity and made the most of conditions which might well have discouraged a 

 lesser man, and, as the final results show, these opportunities all served to make the fruition 

 the more abundant and valuable when he came to the fullness of his career. 



Williston was a born teacher. My greatest impression of this came at the initial meeting 

 of the Paleontological Society in Cambridge in 1909 where, under President John M. Clarke's 

 administration, a number of us were setting forth, usually from a read manuscript, our ideas 

 concerning the aspects of paleontology. Then rose Williston, whose paper was on "The Birth- 

 place of Man," walked to the front of the desk, and without notes, in a simple conversational 

 manner unfolded a marvelous exposition of his theme. Without a thought of disparage- 

 ment of the other contributions, Williston's stands supreme as one of the finest and most inspir- 

 ing presentations I have ever heard, and I knew at once why as a teacher he was eminent. 

 The direct testimony of three of his students bears this out. Riggs says of him in a letter: 



His attic-study [at Chicago] and limited exhibition space became the Mecca of every paleontological pilgrim. 

 This brought him in turn a limited but permanent fund to carry out his work ; brought greater opportunity for extended 

 publication ; and brought also an honorary degree from his alma mater. These were the outward expressions of approval. 

 There came with it a following of eager and enthusiastic students. They gathered in his little study and marveled at his 

 lectures. They followed him regularly and often to the Field Museum for demonstrations. They marveled more at 

 his enthusiasm and the broad scope of his conceptions than at the intrinsic interest of his subject. 



I am also permitted to quote from Prof. Case, who says : 



I believe that the " Mark Hopkins and a log " idea of a university was never more nearly realized than in Dr. Willis- 

 ton. His knowledge of men and things was so wide and his acquaintance with many branches of science so intimate 

 that in the heat of a barren fossil field, or under the stars at night by the side of a camp fire, some bird, or flower, or fos- 

 sil, some insect — "one of mine, I named it in 1870-odd " — would start a talk that held his little band of student assistants 

 enthralled until hunger, thirst, or sleep were forgotten. 



Prof. Williston was greatly .interested in the scientific society of the Sigma Xi, and in a 

 number of educational addresses delivered under the auspices of that organization, empha- 

 sized very strongly the principles of training and practice for which it stands : a broad training 

 in the sciences, but, above all, that productive scholarship which is manifest in a high quality 

 of original scientific research. Williston's influence in such education and his own attain- 

 ments in line with these principles were recognized by the society, which conferred upon him 

 its vice presidency from 1899-1901, and its presidency from 1901 to 1904. He was also a 

 member of the Sigma Xi council for the years 1895 to 1904, 1907 to 1909, and 1910 to 1918, 

 and was instrumental in forming the Chicago chapter in 1903. 



